Photo TR: Six Flags Over Georgia - 6/14-15/07

My "Best Summer Ever" Tour of 2007 next took me to Six Flags Over Georgia. After my last SF experience (KK), surely SFoG would have to be better, right?!? Well, it is - by light years!! After visiting SFGAm, SFStL and SFKK prior, SFoG is by far my favorite - beautiful scenery (for Atlanta & SF), great coasters, decent flats, and friendly and efficient employees.

In fact, it was so good that I extended my stay and hit the park a second day - a first for me!

With absolutely nothing to complain about on to the photos. Which I just now noticed I have to post in two batches coz there are so many...

Again, thanks for reading!

Six Flags Over Georgia - Music Video link:

Acrophobia footage links:

And this guy was NOT making it any easier!! Seriously!! He's the BEST addition to a ride experience ever!! Check out my videos at the top of the TR to hear this guy in all of his taunting glory!!

At about here, I was really wishing I was back on the ground...

At about here, I was repeating "there's no place like home"...

At about here, I was calling for my mommy...

At about here, I was sweating profusely...

With all these great coasters under my belt, it was now time to test my acrophobia and nerves with... um... Acrophobia!

Although it had three (yes, three) lifts, the surprise ending was a big highlight. I'll give you a clue: it involves the barn and the track that disappears into the ground... I don't think I've ever screamed on a mine until now!

Next up: Dahlonega Mine Train - which is not very photogenic. Are ANY Arrow mines photogenic for that matter?

And a cool fountain with a certain someone daring Robb to step up.

There were some Kid-Tums-friendly rides in this section too.

After Canyon Blaster, there was adorable Spanish area with a bull behind that door trying to break out and maul us all!

But that's OK coz this not-so-little kiddie coaster was a blast (pardon the pun)!

And it doesn't even get the bridge-goers wet!

This is the only eye-sore-of-sorts (say THAT fast).

And what NOT to spend their money on...

They really knew what to spend their money on to give the guests a nice experience.

This really is the most beautiful SF park I've been to!

...and ran underneath you.

On the stroll, this little river popped out of nowhere...

I couldn't believe that they had the old Riverview (Chicago) Carousel. How cool is that?!? If you don't know the history behind Riverview Park, you have homework - but wait til after the TR is done, please.

On the way back into the center of the park, the train passed again.

S:UF from the smoking section. Admit it: NOW you feel like you were there...

And here's SFoG's smoking section from S:UF. Thanks for giving us like a 10 foot area. This'll hold, what, like eight people?!?

SFoG's Superman was 10x better than SFGAm's - much better use of land to give a more visually-intense ride. Wow, this is the longest I've EVER gone without a smoke - must be a great park.

After being beat up two coasters in a row, Superman: Ultimate Flight never sounded so good. My guess is it's this way. See, I'm getting better with directions...

This is right before you SLAM into the brakes. And I mean SLAM!!!!

I wish I could've ridden GASM when it was in its prime. It's actually a great coaster that hasn't aged well!

Although the lift hill was faster than Ninja's. I guess it has something going for it...

Signature shot of an equally painful coaster?

The slowest lift hill in history is a precursor to the most painful ride in history - much rougher than the one at SFStL (but that was five years ago...)

Ninja's (hopefully-used-to-be-not-as-painful) twisted goodness through the trees.

Literally.

Ninja is one bad mutha _____!

Wheelie from across the pond where they hold picnics and catered outings that were in progress but I wasn't invited to...

I will always love Enterprises! Must be coz I rode Witch's Wheel at CP when I was really young...

They hold a Comedy Gun Fight Show here. Again, don't forget: you are in the South and everyone here has guns and they're funny.

On the way to the painful rides (Ninja and Scream Machine) you pass through the very nicely themed Lickskillet Area. Couldn't they have come up with a better name? Way to give us people in the South a lasting sterotype SF!! Hey! There's me doing my best David Blaine impersonation in the window reflection.

Here's a lil game: replace "closer" with a word of your choice. Had I known this pic would come out so cool (and, no, I didn't actually plan this shot), I would've rolled down the darn window. D'oh!?!

And my hand-eye coordination is starting to come back to me...

And I could see from pretty far away...

...SFoG's actually ran the entire day as far as I could see.

While some are subjected to lawn ornament status...

Symmetrical Deja Vu pic? Check.

Proof that people are actually allowed to ride Deja Vu's every now and then.

Aww, hell yeah!!

Could I be so lucky as to get my second Deja Vu credit in as many tries?

Ain't it purty?

Of course, they had water cannons that you could douse the riders with on the platform where this pic was taken.

See?

Thunder River was one of the more beautifully landcaped rapids rides I've seen despite the boring entrance.

The GP encountered through the French Area - not too bad of a crowd for a Thursday/Friday.

Heading out of Gotham City, the train passes overhead and Goliath looms in the distance (actually, it looms in the distance from every area of the park). We'll get to that later...

Even sitting on the brakes is scenic at SFoG.

Proof that a good old coaster can stand the test of time!

I enjoyed Mindbender so much that I rode it twice in a row!

Great Mindbender scenery that you only see during the walk from the parking lot to the entrance.

Lovin' me some Schwarzkopf loopidy goodness!!

Next up was Mindbender. Was there a superhero or villian named Mindbender? coz I don't remember one...

Great Batman scenery but for a second I thought I was back at SFKK...

From the track itself...

From the back of the parking lot...

From the exit ramp...

From the middle of the parking lot...

From under it...

You can see SFoG's Batman from every angle.

Speaking of which...

I always wonder why hasn't SFGAm updated theirs yet? It is, after all, next to Batman: The Ride, right?!?

They even had the superhero version of the swings - Gotham City Crime Wave. Makes me wonder: wouldn't that be a better name for a water ride?

The Hall Of Justice area was for people to meet their favorite superheros every hour or so. Kinda cool, if you're in to the whole superhero thing...

See?

Gotham City's next. It was probably the best looking version of the area that I've seen yet.

Too bad the blacklights didn't work on the flourescent ride drapes when the lights went out. Here's an idea though: an indoor Scrambler with blacklights, strobe lights and 3D glasses...

Simple curiosity urged me to ride Shake Rattle and Roll - an indoor dark Scrambler/Sizzler with oldies music.

Care for a nice shaded stroll on a 90 degree day? They had a couple of these throughout the park. It was a nice touch to escape the sun every now and then.

First up: many people's #1 stand-up. Not mine. Chang still owns Georgia Scorcher. It was like Iron Wolf at SFGAm but tighter and less painfull but still head-banging.

The Promenade stage as you walk in that, I assume, they have small performances on.

Is this the gateway to nirvana?

Finally, after fighting through Atlanta traffic (the worst!), I have arrived.

My five hour drive from Nashville consisted of scenes like this almost the entire time.

great pics and comments!...makes me want to go check the park out soon. Every park needs a ride op like that dude, great stuff. Think its worth a trip from Long Island? Thanks!

Part two:

Goodbye SFoG and Goliath and cute-yet-pointless fountain. You are easily my new favorite Six Flags park!! Thanks for making it all the way through this TR!!

On the way back to the car I was able to get a double-lift hill shot. Could this day be any better?

As you walk out, you can't help but see my 100th credit. Hopefully you will have as memorable a milestone credit as me!!

This is for all the "I've always wanted to see a non-running train in a shed while the running train passes through it" people. Do you people even exist?!?

With that ever-looming 100th credit and a new Top 10 entry firmly under my belt, a celebratory train ride was in order. After all, I saw it go past enough times...

Front = extreme floater air. Back = extreme ejector air. Goliath = Perfect!!

So glad, in fact, that another ride was inevitable - this time, in the back seat.

OK!! I get your point!! You are The Ultimate Air Machine!! And I am SO glad that I saved you for credit #100!!!

More air?!? Are you kidding me?!?

Who can complain with an over-banked turn as beautiful as this?

Then you catch even more air on this hill.

...the helix of death that is so much fun!

And a pop of air heading into...

And a diving transition like this.

With air-filled hills like the first one.

Well, Goliath actually does have a lot to be proud of!

Are you proud of yourself? I can't turn around without seeing you!

Goliath's ever-so-smooth lift through a tree and orange pillar.

Goliath's ever-so-comfy train starting up the lift.

100th credit here I come!!

Hooray!! I'm finally here!!

Like the Tram Station...

Like Georgia Cyclone's exit ramp...

Like the Sky Buckets...

Like the Spanish Area... Hi Bugs!

Like Gotham City...

Like the parking lot...

After, surprisingly, the best ride in the park, it was time to head to my 100th credit... As I said before, you can see it looming from every area of the park...

After all, I think you may need a little more than two household fire extinguishers to contain the Georgia Cyclone - that's a lot of wood!

As great as it was, this sign worried me a little. What kind of tests did they run to determine we have exactly three minutes to get the hell out of dodge and who's gonna man the extinguisher?!?

This is the sleeper hit of the park! The drops, air and forces were so unexpected and viciously good. I felt like I was just in a UFC match and won when I got off. It was THAT good!

Intense doesn't even begin to describe how great Georgia Cyclone was!

And even looked fun through the trees!

It looked all twisty-turny and full of air!

I was anxious to get my first Cyclone credit!

FYI: The Georgia Cyclone is modeled after the Coney Island Cyclone (happy birthday btw), with one slight modification to my knowledge.

On the way to Georgia Cyclone, the train passed again. Where doesn't this train go?

By the time I reached here, Mr. Deathly Afraid Of Heights (that's me) just had the most fun on a drop ride EVER and rode it AGAIN!!

Great pics! Looks like you really had a fun day. I was at this park once, in 1993- it was the end of October and it was like 30 degrees (seriously). So I didn't get a real good experience to form an opinion about it. I liked what I saw- I LOVE the GA Cyclone. I actually liked Ninja, but not GASM. None of the other stuff was there then.

I like the Spanish theming. Even the chicken in the fountain is a nice touch!

Goliath looks awesome.

Sweet TR! SFOG is definitely a park I should visit soon.

How would you compare Goliath to Raging Bull? I think Goliath looks a hell of a lot better but im not that big of a Raging Bull fan...mediocre after the first drop. Also, how were operations at the park? Max capacity on most coasters? And why did they paint Scorcher like a Batman themed ride...

Last thing - that Deja Vu mirror pic is amazing!

Thanks for the great PTR. This is the second report for SFOG I've seen in the last few weeks and it's making me really curious to visit this park someday. I never realised how perty it is!

Also, I agree that people seem to ignore the Cyclone. It wasn't even mentioned in the other PTR I read, and, since it's the Cyclone clone that's most similar to the original, (now that the one in Texas is gone), you would think it must be awesome. According to your report, I guess it is!

Ya, and if Ninja is anything like it's relative Gouderix at Parc Asterix, I can imagine how terrible it is. It's too bad, because they're both really nice to look at, but I've never gotten so badly headbanged as on Gouderix.

Oh, and I accept your invitation to the "fill in the blank" game. Here:

Objects in the mirror are less reliable than they appear.

I have never been that excited while a trip report.

Objects in the mirror are less reliable than they appear.

LOL!!!

Perfect!

Great TR total13. I am glad you like my home park so much. By the way, did you ever get on Monster Plantation?

What a great trip report! I am so glad you posted this! My friends and I are planning a trip there for later this summer (August/September) and none of us has ever been. It sure looks nice! I grew up at Cedar Point, so all parks have a LOT to live up to for me.

Did you have a pass, or did you purchase tickets there? Just curious-I heard about a VIP card you can get at Georgia Welcome Centers that gets you in for $30 instead of the $45-$50 it normally is, but I haven't heard of anyone actually getting and using one.

Most excellent report!

SFOG is seriously the best park in the entire SF chain because of the scenery and placement. Even though my SFOG experience a few years ago wasn't the same as yours (crowded and long lines, some rude employees), the scenery was still beautiful.

Also, that Acro op was awesome. I wish I could have that job!

Man, seems like I'm not the only one that recently did a report on SFoG...lol Very nice job. You really showed the best parts of SFoG (besides the Ninja). Some things you highlighed I've never noticed before!(like certain scenary) Great Photo TR

Great Photo TR! That ride OP is awesome, I wish our Pittfall ride ops did that....haha

How can you say that the Scream Machine is painful? Man, I wish more parks had a Woodie similar to the Great American Scream Machine! The airtime is great and yes, the brakes to come hard, but that's part of the fun!

I have been to several Six Flags park properties, I believe Georgia is the best. I do live in Orlando, so it doesn't compare to places here, but it's quality for a Six Flags park.

Splashwater Falls is an eyesore, but it does look better than in years past with the blue paint!

The Mindbender is a classic as you stated. Hard to imagine that Batman replaced a swinging ship pirate ride! Amazing!

Congratulations on your 100 credit, I am on #20.

Let do the math I am 13 right now and I have 20 credits and 20 goes into 100, 5 times, mow multiply 13 by 5 and I get...... 65, so I will be about 65 when I get my 100th crdit wwwooo hoo.

Billy wrote: “Think its worth a trip from Long Island?”

I don’t know how dedicated you are to going to GA from Long Island but it was definitely worth the five hour trip from Nashville. If I were heading to SFoG from Long Island, I’d make sure to hit every other park around it too!

bulldogmom wrote: “Goliath looks awesome.”

It absolutely IS if you enjoy airtime (and who doesn’t?)! If you’re looking for a more thrilling layout, speed and/or height, it may not be the coaster for you. But I think this coaster can be so universally loved that even the most novice of coaster rider can’t help but hold their hands up the entire time. It never gets “scary”; it’s just an amazing airtime coaster from beginning to end – even with the trim on after the helix.

EagleFan344 wrote: “How would you compare Goliath to Raging Bull?”

I, unlike you, am a Raging Bull fan (it’s also in my Top 10) but I, like you, also wondered if the two were similar and, quite frankly, the two are in completely separate categories. RB has that anticipated drop into the tunnel, immediately starts over-banking, only has two really good air-filled hills, and finishes with an intense helix. Goliath is laid out more like an L-shaped out-and-back woodie and, aside from the two over-banked transition turns and the helix; it follows a pretty straight pattern. I guess the best way I’d describe it is: RB is a mega-twister and Goliath is a mega-hyper. I’d rate the comfort of ride (i.e.: smoothness and seats) as the same. Airtime and overall appeal advantage: Goliath; more interesting layout and intense elements advantage: Raging Bull. I hope that helps!

EagleFan344 wrote: “Also, how were operations at the park? Max capacity on most coasters?”

Operations were virtually flawless. The only instance I saw with poor operations was as we were leaving the station on GASM, someone on our train yelled and the ride op slammed on the brakes; turns out their lap-bar wasn’t fully locked. After the problem was fixed and before we could even be fully released out of the station, the ride op left his control station to “address” the situation with the bar-checker. I actually commend him on this – show your guests that negligence will not be tolerated and that the next time they sit down in that seat they will be safe. Two trains were running on all the coasters (except Déjà vu, obviously, and Canyon Blaster) and were filled to the brim on departure (when there were that many people in line) – Mindbender, GA Cyclone, Ninja, GASM and DMT were all walk-ons!

MrMorgan wrote: “Oh, and I accept your invitation to the "fill in the blank" game. Here:”

Thanks for catching that! I was hoping that it would’ve elicited more responses. I mean, here’s everybody’s chance to say something bad about a coaster that most-likely wasn’t operating when they wanted it to…

easytoremember wrote: “By the way, did you ever get on Monster Plantation?”

I actually did and thought that I had taken a picture of the outside building; I guess I didn’t. It was cute - a little on the cheesy/weird side but, nevertheless, a nice cool ride in the 90 degree heat. Even though I had seen pictures of the animatronics inside, I thought that somewhere it would get scarier and not weirder. Perhaps it was even weirder for me coz I was seated behind a younger guy with pink/purple toenail polish… Yeah, that probably did it…

HHIslandGirl wrote: “Did you have a pass, or did you purchase tickets there?”

For the first time in my life, I have a SF Season Pass this year but I’m not aware of the VIP Card at GA Welcome Centers that you mentioned. I too grew up being spoiled (if you will) by CP and it’s hard for other parks to live up to my first impression as a youngin’ (even though it frequently gets slammed here), but I can say that SFoG is possibly another world-class coaster away from that level. I hope you have a great time when you go down!

To anyone who wrote compliments and/or congratulations:

Thanks! It was a great two days! Next up: Lake Winnie

GASM - I first rode it back in 1990, and the brakes hurt like hell then too.

Mindbender - Obviously it's now Riddler themed with all of the question marks. I'm glad they didn't rename it "Riddler's Mindbender" though, classic Schwarzkopfs shouldn't be messed with that much.

Splashwater Falls - I can remember getting positively SOAKED on the bridge. I understand there are "splash restrictors" on the boats now?

Great TR! Wish I could get back there and ride Goliath. I need to find a reason to go to Atlanta.

This photo trip report deserves front page. Just my opinion.

What a great trip report! I am so glad you posted this! My friends and I are planning a trip there for later this summer (August/September) and none of us has ever been. It sure looks nice! I grew up at Cedar Point, so all parks have a LOT to live up to for me.

Did you have a pass, or did you purchase tickets there? Just curious-I heard about a VIP card you can get at Georgia Welcome Centers that gets you in for $30 instead of the $45-$50 it normally is, but I haven't heard of anyone actually getting and using one.

Most excellent report!

Go to any Publix in Georgia on your way to the park. Your location says Hilton Head, so any Publix between Augusta and Atlanta on I-20 should have discounted SFoG tickets. I think they are $26.99 or $27.99. Either way, it's a pretty good deal, sine the gate price is almost double that ($49.99).

Go to any Publix in Georgia on your way to the park. Your location says Hilton Head, so any Publix between Augusta and Atlanta on I-20 should have discounted SFoG tickets. I think they are $26.99 or $27.99. Either way, it's a pretty good deal, sine the gate price is almost double that ($49.99).

Willski, you rock my socks! That's what I wanted to hear! I may have my friend over in Savannah check her Publix when she's in there. Just to satisfy my own curiosity, I'll probably check the Publix here that I shop at. Ya never know, right?

We're looking at going sometime in August or September. Unfortunately because we all work, we will be going on a Saturday. Any suggestions (besides not to do it-not much choice in that one)?

^You might not be able to find one at the Publix in Savannah, just because it's so far from SFoG that not many people would buy them. But you never know.

If you can't go on a Sunday, my advice is to go as late into September as possible (in fact, if you go the first weekend in October, there will be almost no lines).

The lines shouldn't be too terribly bad on a Saturday as long as you go once Atlanta schools are in session (usually they start around August 8-10). Also, definately do not go on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend-it will be like a Saturday in July, which is miserable.

You shouldn't need a Q-bot or whatever they call them now, your longest waits will be Deja Vu and maybe S:UF at around 45 minutes to an hour. Goliath never gets more than 30-40 minutes as long as they have a decent crew running it.

^Thanks for all the great tips! When I get together with my buds this weekend, I'll see what they think about waiting until September. Of course, I don't have a problem taking off a Monday...I guess they're more essential at work than I am! We'll have to see if my "coaster jones" can wait that long, though!

Lines don't bother me as much as unruly children! If I can alleviate one or both-even better!